The big question ahead of Sunday’s crescendo to the fascinatingly intense 2021 world championship is whether it will come down to a crash. He thinks a “similar driving style” from Red Bull’s Verstappen could well be punished by the stewards and lead to “an uncomfortable situation for everyone”. “I don’t think this championship deserves a result that was influenced by a collision. The picture painted by Mercedes is that Verstappen, 24, is simply a more reckless and aggressive driver than seven time world champion Hamilton. The problem for Red Bull, Schumacher said, is that its 2021 car is simply not quite as fast as Hamilton’s Mercedes. “Both of them deserve it, but Verstappen is closer to me in type,” Schumacher said.

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